Category: youtube richesse

[ Originally posted on Facebook 1 July 2018; additions below, 1 and 26 January, and 22 February 2021; final (maybe) addition 29 September 2021 ]

[ Addition 29 September 2021 ]

Ok, here’s something to chase those blues away. If you’re having trouble dealing with the world the way it is right now, commend me to a daily watch of this. It’s Yoyo (more about her below) at 8 years old, covering the Stray Cats’ “Rock This Town.” For my money possibly the most life-affirming, most joyous thing on YouTube . . .

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British band Led Zeppelin erupted onto the UK scene in 1969.

It combined guitar virtuoso and sought-after session musician Jimmy Page, play-any-instrument composer and orchestral-arranger bassist John Paul Jones, the soaring voice of archetypal blonde-locked, bare-chested strutting frontman Robert Plant, and the titanic yet precisely inventive—almost funky—drumming of John Bonham, still rated by many as the greatest rock drummer ever.

This oldie was privileged to have seen and heard them in their prime (Earls Court, 1975).

Side 1 Track 1 (‘Good Times Bad Times’) of their eponymous debut album set the tone, Bonham doing things with a kick-drum that no-one had heard before and many even now struggle to replicate.

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It’s no coincidence that Japan has more than its fair share of child prodigies.

A society in which doing things well is revered, one in which education is a competitive pursuit from an early age, and in which children dutifully knuckle down to it, is well placed to hothouse young talent.

Here then is Yoyoka Soma, all of 8 years old [at the time of writing], ripping Bonzo’s drumming from ‘Good Times Bad Times.’

Her supreme kick-drum mastery is inset bottom left.

But perhaps the best thing is the sheer joy she radiates as she piles her astonishing way through this hard-rock classic.

And okay yes, it’s a long way from copying—however proficient—to original creating.

But here once again is proof positive of the continuing Japanese conviction that if a thing is worth doing, it’s worth doing . . . perfectly.

Yoyoka’s YouTube channel here

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[ Added 1 January 2021 ]

Two bands were pretty much the soundtrack to my adolescence: Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple.

Not least among the appeal of both was the mastery of their drummers—John Bonham and Ian Paice respectively—each of whom in their own way defined what rock drumming was and could be.

While Bonham encapsulated all that is titanic and steamroller-majestic, Paice’s quick-hand fluency and more swing-based inventiveness provided the perfect framework for the equally stunning musicianship of then-Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and keyboards maestro Jon Lord.

Bonham didn’t make it much past the crazy 1970s, but Ian Paice is still very much with us, still (!) drumming with Purple, and now enjoying a still further lease of life on YouTube.

Yoyoka (‘Yoyo’) has already covered several Bonham tracks, but never anything by Paice.

Until now.

And as cute kid herself closes in on adolescence, she’s put together a quantum-leap performance with the Deep Purple track ‘Burn.’

And what a performance it is. While her technical mastery has never been in doubt, the notable developments here (still at the tender age of 11) are in her speed and stamina.

All in all, it’s enough to drop any jaw.

For those new to Deep Purple and who can tear their ears away long enough from Yoyo’s magnificent work, listen out too for some timeless soloing by Blackmore and Lord.

Anyway, the point is that all sorts of folk quickly alerted Ian Paice himself to this prodigious performance, and now he’s posted his own reaction video.

So sit forward and revel in the emergence of a modern drumming superstar, in this gentle and generous appreciation by the master himself . . .

[ Another addition, 26 January 2021 ]

Oh dearie dearie me. Just when I thought she’d reached a peak, she’s posted another Deep Purple (i.e. Ian Paice) cover, this time “Speed King” from their early album “In Rock.” And I think it might be even better . . .

Hard to know where to look in amongst all this virtuosity, but worth concentrating one time on her astonishing kick-drum mastery—most of the time it’s her right foot doing the business, but there’s also a second beater, cued in when needed by her left (normally hi-hat) foot. It’s all viewable in the window bottom-left

It’s almost scary just how good she already is. I do so hope she’ll be able to deal with the fame that is sure to be hers before too long, and all the head-turning temptations that go with it.

Bless you Yoyo. Good luck . . .

[ And yet another addition, 22 February 2021 ]

Ok, just one more, last one I promise (maybe). Indulge me . . .

This is ‘Stone Cold Crazy’ by another monster UK band—Queen.

It’s a short yet bracing thrash from their 1974 album ‘Sheer Heart Attack.’

And surprise surprise, Yoyo—here 9 years old and still very much the cute kid—nails it.

Not sure how technically demanding this drum part is (although notice already twin kick-drum pedals, and her quadruplets around the tom-toms are—as always—faultless).

What entrances me about this one though is the enormous fun she’s so obviously having.

And while she aces the song’s speed and complexity with seemingly effortless ease, there’s still spare processing capacity enough for her to mug for the camera and indulge all those endearingly bonkers gestures and expressions.

Sheer Joy Attack . . .

[Added 10 February 2022]

Phenom Yoyoka celebrated her 12th birthday with a session where she plays with a very tight, kick-ass band. You’ll want to head over to her site here to watch some pretty impressive covers.

But I’d be doing Yoyo a disservice if I said she was just a drummer. Truth is she showcases all sorts of other instruments, as in this video: her reworking of the Beatles ‘Here, There and Everywhere.’ Listening to her singing in English in particular is a joy . . .

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Ron Pratt is a good Christian man. He’s also a proud American, endowed with many of his homeland’s finer virtues: courteous and deferential, thoughtful of others, hard-working, with a won’t-be-beaten, get-it-done attitude.

His trade is towing and recovery, on the highway and elsewhere. And prime among the machinery he uses is a monster truck called the Rotator (Tator for short, natch).

This state-of-the-art, 73,000-pound behemoth has a huge extending boom with multiple cables, hooks and clinches, compartments brimful of chains, shackles, straps, blocks, all sorts of other heavy-duty equipment, and a digital control system enabling full remote control.

All of which is needed, as Ron has to deal with all kinds of vehicular dramas: tractor-trailers that have jackknifed, overturned or are teetering precariously; cars way off the hardtop and down in a ditch; agricultural equipment marooned far into the woods, beached loads weighing sometimes hundreds of thousands of pounds, you get the picture . .  .

Called out day or night in all weathers, he’s often working in dangerous conditions. So safety awareness and precautions are a big part of the job.

And to film all this? Well, when out of the Tator he uses a headcam. This way you get an up-close view of his on-site interactions with state troopers, fire crews and other emergency services, and you see exactly how he goes about evaluating the situation, gets his crew organized and briefed, sorts out comms, and sets about the business of rescue.

But for all the gee-whizz machinery, this is a job that still involves a great deal of manual (“of their hands”!) labour, and Ron’s mike picks up every grunt of exertion, every laboured breath.

Ok yes, occasionally when he’s checking many directions quickly the headcam can make you a bit dizzy, but the overall effect is to put you right there as order is slowly restored to chaos.

Techniques vary according to the task: sometimes it might be a straight pull, but for others multiple cables are woven together into a complex cat’s cradle of physics and geometry. (Ships’ crews from the bygone days of rope and sail would certainly recognize—and applaud—his skills . . . )

All in all, it’s a fascinating insight into a world we never normally see. And into a good man doing a difficult—sometimes emotionally draining—job.

For although this is never shown, these accidents sometimes result in serious injuries or worse.

Which lends extra impact to Ron’s words early on in each video as he heads out to the scene: “as always, we ask for prayers, good thoughts, well-wishes for all involved . . . ”

Here’s the short introduction to his channel:

The videos are sometimes quite long, reflecting the complexity of the job and the challenging conditions. I’ve chosen a shorter one for here—a relatively simple [!] night-time recovery of a car that’s left the highway and is [! again] in a tree.

But you’ll get some idea at least of the Tator’s huge range and abilities, plus some of the ready-for-anything gear inside the truck’s many compartments.

And of course, Ron’s supreme mastery of his métier . . .

Ron Pratt’s YouTube channel

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There’s a particular pleasure in watching someone who knows what they’re doing doing it well. This is pretty much the leitmotif of the “Of their Hands” series.

Dave Engels lives in Joliet, Montana. He’s made it his life’s work to preserve the wheelright and wainright skills of yesteryear.

I can do no better than to quote some of the introduction on his YouTube channel:

“This YouTube video library is designed to preserve the wheelwright trade so it is not forgotten. Having over 40 plus years in the wheelwright trade, I have witnessed number of changes brought from the changing of generations passing on. Some are fortunate to pass their skills and knowledge on to younger folks, while others take their knowledge and wisdom to the grave with them. This is my attempt to pass some things forward.

“This channel has been dedicated to preserving what I can in regard to the wheelwright trade. Having covered a broad spectrum of the fundamentals of a wheelwright, my change in purpose will now be to focus on the wainwright trade aspect of carriage- and coach-building.“

Back in the day there was no assembly-line production—each wagon was custom-built, with wood and iron. So anyone wanting to repair and restore them has to have the full range of woodworking and metalworking skills.

Dave sure is an expert woodworker; with forge and anvil he can (re)create irons of any type and shape; making wagon wheels and hubs of all sizes from scratch is no problem; he shows us custom-moulding of coach panels, restoring the broken to good-as-new, and upholstering to perfection.

Maybe best of all, his calm and assured voice explains as he goes along—we learn a lot. And to cap it all, the videos themselves are very well filmed and edited, with even the occasional stop-motion surprise.

So much richness . . .

Difficult to encompass this immense range in just one short video, so once you’ve had a look at this intro overview, do go on over to Dave’s channel: Engels Coach Shop.

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[ Expanded from an original Facebook post of October 2016 ]

YouTube is a place of many contrasts.

Yes, there’s plenty of “OMG, this is so amazing” (it usually isn’t), or “OMG, this is so funny” (ditto).

But in amongst this and similar crap, there’s also plenty that’s interesting, informative, inspiring.

For the first two, try searching YouTube for e.g. “log cabin,” “18th Century cooking,” or “coin tricks.”

For all three together, commend me to Rod Humphrey, erstwhile (proud) U.S. Marine and Special Forces veteran, now a master woodturner.

Here’s someone who during their active service must have seen (and dealt?) much savagery, whose chosen activity in retirement is almost a polar opposite.

And as we follow the (always well-filmed) process of him turning log and lumber into stunning, often chatoyant beauty, Rod explains to us in his gentle voice just what he’s doing and why. (Chatoyance is a word you’ll hear him use occasionally. It  means a kind of silk-like sheen that shimmers as the eye-line changes.)

In this way, we begin to understand some of the complexities of woodturning, and a large part of its appeal.

All this is done with a humility and an appreciation of others that might put any materialist striver to shame . . .

Hard to choose among the myriads of Rod’s videos to showcase, but try this one:

This is one in a planned occasional “Of their Hands” series, in which I’ll be spotlighting some of the folks I’ve found online who marry mortal and machine in mastery majestic.

There’s already a few of these on the site: I’m thinking in particular of Mr Chickadee, Mechanical perfection and Katzenjammer cobblers . . .

Interestingly, quite apart from the immersive pleasure of watching a thing done superlatively well, there’s often a kind of tranquility (maybe even healing?) to be had in watching these videos.

I suspect this at least partially reflects the satisfaction and contentment of those who are making the very best of their (co-)creative talents . . .

R Humphrey YouTube channel here

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When someone of talent takes time to craft videos showcasing their skills, YouTube can open our eyes to things we didn’t previously know.

Others meanwhile bring to familiar things a new richness.

This is one such.

I’ve already waxed lyrical about British band Led Zeppelin.

Conceived as a super-group by ex-Yardbirds guitarist Jimmy Page, they erupted onto the scene with their eponymous debut album way back in 1969.

Subsequent albums only reinforced this success, so that by 1980 Led Zeppelin were playing to audiences in the tens of thousands (the crowd at a Knebworth festival show in 1979 was estimated at some 104,000).

Along with their immense worldwide fame came all the clichéd rock band excesses.

These were undoubtedly a factor in drummer John Bonham’s death in 1980.

Following which Led Zeppelin split.

They later recombined in several reunions, culminating in an almost comically over-subscribed—seems 20 million ticket applications—and critically well-received 2007 show at London’s O₂ arena. (The drummer here was Bonham’s son Jason—how cool is that?)

Unusually among “dinosaur” rock bands of ages past, Zeppelin’s music remains popular, as generations new discover their beguiling mix of mainstream blues, hard rock grit, and mellow acoustic.

So, to the point:

On his own site (here), Carl Baldasarre describes himself—rather grandiosely—as “composer, guitarist, songwriter, philanthropist, esteemed financial professional and mentor.”

Hmm.

However, there’s no doubting he can play.

And play he does, as he reproduces Jimmy Page’s technique and takes us through some of its intricacies—his riffs and chord progressions, his pick- and slide-work, the overall flow and more.

Throughout it all his respect for Page’s genius shines through, and we get to appreciate it all the better.

This video from Baldasarre’s YouTube channel (here) features Zeppelin’s “Ramble On.”

So much to relish, so much to learn . . .

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[ Originally posted on Facebook 8 April 2020 ]

I remember long ago coming across a comic-strip which featured two brothers who went by the name of ‘The Katzenjammer Kids.’ Can’t recall much about the substance, but do remember the swept-back crop hairstyles the two kids had.

Which is of no consequence at all, except that the hair of the brothers in my next YouTube channel reminded me of them.

Trenton and Heath (the brothers) are cobblers, but about as far removed from your local repairs-while-u-wait as it’s possible to be.

For these two boys are pretty much miracle-workers when it comes to shoes, and this channel explains a little of their trade.

Many of the videos involve taking a pair of apparently ruined shoes and working them back into perfection, with each step filmed and explained.

Not the least of the interest is in how they evaluate the various makes—famous and not so—as they break them down and rebuild them. In the process, you begin to understand why expensive shoes are expensive . . .

Have to say that as a Brit I’m partial to their encomium on the quality and craftsmanship of a pair of John Lobbs.

But it doesn’t really matter where you start, there’s something to be learned for all us lazy trainer-wearers about what proper shoes are all about.

Oh, and this Brit at least can’t get enough of those Nashville accents . . .

Trenton & Heath’s YouTube channel here.

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[ Originally posted on Facebook 24 August 2017 ]

Occasionally, just occasionally, in among the vapid ‘more-about-me’ online clamour, you come across a true gem.

One such is a YouTube channel called Mr Chickadee.

The premise is pretty simple: Josh and his Peruvian wife Maio have upped sticks and headed out into the Kentucky backwoods, in search of a simpler and more fulfilling life.

Josh sets to, building first a timber-frame workshop and then a two-storey timber-frame cabin.

So far, so ordinary.

Except that he uses only hand-tools. Not a power-tool or chainsaw to be seen or heard.

And therein lies the second marvel: While he goes about the muscle-rending processes of felling, hewing, shaping and joining, Maio films and then tightly edits, occasionally appearing herself where the task involves two.

There’s no talk, none of that tiresome ‘me-me-me’ chatter. Just the sounds of forest nature and the rasp and draw of razor-honed axe, saw and plane, as Josh with quiet assurance goes about his craftsman’s work.

The result is a video series that is therapeutic, entrancing, enriching.

There’s a nice irony in using contemporary media methods to reintroduce age-old skills. Skills we blasé moderns have lost. Yet skills which in the past built houses, villages, towns, even cities.

We can only marvel at the sense of respect, humility and joy that breathes throughout this couple’s shared life and work.

Mr. Chickadee’s work encompasses everything from the hand-hewing of trees into lumber to the smallest, most intricate woodwork.

The video I’ve chosen from the many on his channel is #23 from the “Our timber frame cabin” series: “traditional insulated windows”:

Mr Chickadee YouTube channel here

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[ Originally published on Facebook 2 April 2020 ]

So ‘from the sublime to’ . . . no I can’t say ‘the ridiculous,’ because the next channel is far from that; let’s say rather ‘from the sublime to the rambunctious’ . . .

One of the many it-doesn’t-quite-add-up things about our current predicament [this was written during the early days of the first full-court-press UK Covid lockdown] is that all the utilities—electricity, gas, water, sewage, garbage, post, you name it—seem to be almost unaffected.

But let’s say the power was off—we’d have to find other ways of lighting, heating, cooking.

For ‘Cowboy’ Kent Rollins that’d be no kinda big deal, ‘cos’n’ that’s what he does—he cooks up a storm over an open fire.

Back in them frontier days, folks didn’t have none o’ them fancy ‘lectric stoves—all their cooking was done wood-fired, using cast-iron skillets, Dutch ovens and sich . . .

And this is what Rollins shows us, whether it’s good campfire coffee, mama’s cornbread dressing, fried rattlesnake (no, really), Philly cheesesteak, or jalapeño cheese sourdough bread, Kent’s got y’all covered.

It’s all presented in his inimitable style—good-ole-boy Oklahoma corny. So yes, maybe you wouldn’t want to listen to him all day, but in small doses his deep knowledge, his fluent patter, and his sheer down-home good-heartedness warm and convince.

A recent one of his titled ‘Cowboy Cures’ is testament to just how much he really knows his stuff. And if’n’ you let him folks, he can pass on a whole passel o’ knowin’ about outdoor cooking and life, power off or not . . .

::: VEGETARIANS AVOID :::

Here’s Kent’s intro video for his YouTube channel, which should give you some flavour . . .

Up for some more? (It’s worth it . . .) Kent’s YouTube channel here

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